Machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' G. O. GILL.

PRINTING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 10

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PRINTING MACHINE.

No. 311,976. gg Patented Feb, 10, 1885..

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PRINTING MACHINE.

No. 311,976. Patented Feb. 10, 1885.

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GEOEGE o. GILL, or BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO B. HOE aco, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRINTENG IVIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,976, dated February10, 1885.

Application filed March 12, 1881. (No model zen of the United States,residing in the city ofBrooklyn, county of Kings,and State ofNew York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Machines,fully described and represented in the following speck. fication and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to that class of printing-machines which areprovided with reciprocating type-beds, said invention being par.-ticularly directed to means for aiding the mechanism that drives thetype-bed, to gradually arrest the motion of said type-bed at thetermination of its travel in one direction, and to start it in anopposite direction. These bedarresting mechanisms are commonly locatedat or near each end of the stroke of the reciprocating bed, and in animproved form consist of cylinders, the pistons of which'are attached toor otherwise moved by the said bed, or vice versa, the said cylindersand pistons constituting an air-spring.

The improvement now effected consists, mainly, in furnishing eachcylinder of such air springs with a.relief cook or orifice at a pointbeyond that reached by the piston in its inward movement, and by whichmovement the air is compressed in said cylinder, said cocks or orificesbeing provided with means for opening and closing them that areconnected with the belt-shifteror similar device moved thereby. Thus,when the machine is stopped by the operation of the belt-shifter, thesaid cocks or orifices may be opened to form a free communication fromthe cylinders to the external air, and thus permit an easy andready'movement of the bed by hand when required in making up orexamining the form, and closing said cocks or orifices when thebelt-shifter is moved to set the machine in operation, whereby the airin the cylinders is confined therein, so that it may be compressed bythe pistons, and thus act as a spring. A

particular construction of mechanism is also embraced in the saidinvention. embodlment of these improvements is illus- A practical 0which Figure 1 represents a side elevation, and Fig. 2 an endelevation,of a printing-machine containing them. Fig. 3 represents aplan View of such machine, with a portion of the upper works removed tomore clearly expose the lower mechanismsand illustrate the applicationof these improvements. Fig. 4 represents the type-bed and the air-springat one end of the machine, and Fig. 5 illustrates the details ofconstruction of a peculiar valve. Fig. 6 represents amodification.

The principal feature of a printing-machine of the class to which thisinvention is applicable is an impression-cylinder, A, that is mounted toturn in suitable bearings, and to cooperate with a reciprocating typebed, 13, upon which is secured the form C.

There are various wellknown arrangements of mechanisms for causing theimpression-cylinder A and typebed B to travel in unison during theprinting operation, and to admit of the return movement of said bed. Inthis class of presses the motions of their parts are all derived fromv amain driving shaft, as E. In most approved constructions thereciprocating bed B is driven back and forth by the shaft E by means ofavibrating shaft, G, that carries a pinion, F, which travels on theupper and under sides of a toothed rack, R, provided with end shoes orreversing-guides S, as is common; but this motion 1s sometlmes given byother means.

One manner of connecting the drivingshaft E with the impression-cylinderA is by a 5 toothed wheel on the shaft driving an intermediate wheelwhich meshes with a toothed wheel On the shaft D of the cylinder A, all.of

which will be well understood by those con versant with this art, and nofurther or more particular description of the class of printingpresseshaving reciprocating beds tov which these improvements are applicable isnecessaryforathorough understanding of the same.

In the structure herein shown an air-cylin- T appurtenances.

be particularly described, together with its It is cylindrical or ofother proper shape, closed at its outer end and having an open mouth atits inner end, which mouth is preferably beveled, so as to permit theready entrance of the piston. The piston 3, which enters in thiscylinder 30, is provided with a cup-packing or any other suitable pack-,ing, and is supported upon a piston-rod, 6,

that is sustained by a boss, 7, depending from the under side of the bedB. This piston-rod is secured thereto, and has a screw-thread cut uponit, so that the piston 3, which is adapted to rotate upon it, may beadjusted longitudinally to determine its extent of entrance into thesaid cylinder, a jam-nut, 8, securing its adjustment. This piston-rod 6extends in opposite directions from the boss 7, and is furnished at theopposite end with a piston, 5, and a jam-nut, 9, whereby said pistonmay, like the piston 3, be adjusted in its position thereon. Thispiston-rod 6 passes through a hole in the boss 7, so that it may beadjusted therein as may be required, nuts 2 and 4 securing it in place.As the type-bed is reciprocated to and fro it carries with it thepistons 3 5, and causes the same, as they enter the cylinders 20 30, tocompress the air therein, and thus cause it to act as a spring togradually check up, and finally, in concert with the driving mechanism,arrest the movement of the bed in one direction, and to aid in startingand impelling the bed in the opposite direction; and the piston 3, whenin the position shown in Fig. 4, which is that of the bed when in itsposition of farthest travel in one direction, by the action of itsdriving mechanism, then compresses the air in the cylinder 30 to thegreatest degree, which should be just sufficient to counteract themomentum of the bed. Now, it is a necessity that some provision shouldbe made to relieve the air-pressure in such cylinder when the machine isat rest, to enable the operator to run the bed outward andinward by handwhen such movement is desirable, as in making ready forms or otherwiseexamining the same. Asimple cock communicating with the chamber 10,inwhich the compressed airis held,would be sufficient for this purpose;but it would obviously require the attendant to open the same by handand to close it before again setting the machine into operation. Toavoid the loss of time and inconvenience attending this hand operation,and to prevent its being omitted, and thereby breaking or otherwiseinjuring the machine, the cylinders 20 30 are each provided with arelief-orifice at a point beyond that to which the piston enters them,which orifices are provided with cocks 11, (see Fig. 3,) the valve-stemsof which are provided with a valve-rod, 12, that is journaled to turn ina bracket, 13, and provided with a rock-arm, 14, to which is pivoted arod, 15, the outer end of which is also pivoted to the lever 16 of thebelt-shifter 17 "which belt-shifter, as shown, is also provided with arod, 21, connecting it with an auxiliary lever, 22, whereby thebeltshifter 17 may be operated from either side of the machine. Fromthis description itwill be obvious that when the belt-shifter 17 isoperated to throw the driving-belt from the fast pulley 23 to the loosepulley 24, and thus suspend the operation of the driving mechanism, therod will, through the rock-arm 14 and the valve-rod 12, open the cocks11, so as to make a free passage from behind the piston then enteredinto the cylinder to the external air, and thus relieve theair-pressure, and this will permit the easy movement of the piston insaid cylinder, and thereby enable the operator to run the bed in and outwithout exerting any undue power.

When it'is desired to start the machine, the air-spring is brought intoaction again by the operation of throwing the driving-belt onto the fastpulley-through the reversed action of the rods 15 and 12, which closesthe cocks 11, and thereby closes the air-passage, so that the entranceof the piston therein will cause the pressure of air to act as a spring,as before described.

It will be apparent that the relief-orifices in the cylinders may beextended by pipes, as 18, that communicate with a double cock of aconstruction such as is shown in Fig. 5, where the passages are marked11 11 to show their correspondence in function to the passages of thecooks 11. The plug of this cock is provided with two side openingsadapted, when the plug is in a certain position, to communicatesimultaneously with the passages 11, which openings lead to a commoncentral chamber,

19, in said cock, said chamber being open at the top to the externalair. The plug of this cock is provided with a rock-arm marked 14, toshow its correspondence with the rock-arm 14 shown in the other figures,and which, like said rock-arm, is provided with an operatingrod, 15,suit-ably connected with the beltshifter 17, so as to be rocked when itis moved as follows: When the shifter is moved to carry the driving-beltonto the loose pulley, the arm 14 will beso rocked as to bring it intothe position shown in Fig. 5, and thus establish communication from thecylinders with the external air, whereby the air-pressure is relieved,as is readily apparent. When the driving-belt is moved onto the fastpulley,the rock-arm 14 will'be simultaneously moved to close thepassages 11, and thereby confine the air within the cylinders, so thatit may be compressed therein in like manner as has beenexplained. Itwill thus appear that the operation of stopping the driving mechanismsof the press simultaneously performs the operation of relieving theair-pressure in the cylinders, and that the operation of setting inmotion the driving mechanisms of the press. simultaneously closes thecock, so that the air may be compressed in the cylinders to formair-cushions for coaction with the type-bed in checking up its momentumin one direction, stopping the same, and aiding to start it in itsmovement in the opposite direction, thus avoiding any manipulation bythe operator other than that required to stop the machine,

so that whenever the machineis at rest, which' is the time when themanipulation of the typebed must be performed, said type-bed is alwaysrelieved from the action of the airspring, and is in a condition to berun in and out without any undue labor.

Itis obvious that the cylinders may be attached to the bed and thepistons to the framework, as in Fig. 6. In this arrangement thepiston-rod is made hollow a certain distance, and a short pipe, 31, isinserted into its bore, near the end frame, beyond a point to which thepiston is ever adjusted. The relief-cock 11 is connected to this pipe,and its plugis operated by the valve-rod 12 through the rockarm 14, asalready described. The pistonstem might be made hollow its whole lengthand the cook 11 be connected with its outer end; but in that situationit would be more exposed to accidents; or the short pipe 31 may be bentat a right angle, one arm of which, with the cook 11 at its lower end,

would be secured to the end frame, and the other arm would runhorizontally through the piston some distance through a suitableslipjoint, the piston in such case being adjusted on its stem withoutbeing revolved by means of a nut at either side of it, as shown inFig.6.

What is claimed is 1. The combination, with the reciprocating bed,pistons 3 5, and cylinders 30 20, of airpassages communicating with saidcylinders at a point beyond that to which the piston enters,vwhichpassages are governed by a cook or cocks that are controlled by thebelt-shifting mechanism of the machine, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the bed B, pistons 3 5, cylinders 30 20, cocks11 11, rod 12, and rock-arm 14, of means connecting said rock-arm withthe lever of the belt-shifter, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing

